The Government is to relax rules on some employment permits to plug shortfalls in the planning and homecare sectors. Under plans being developed by Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke, the quota for general employment permits for homecare workers will increase by another 1,000 places.
Meanwhile, the role of town planning officer will become eligible for a critical skills permit which allows people qualified in professions where there is a shortage of skills to work in Ireland.
The reforms will make it easier for people from outside the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK to get work permits, subject to meeting certain conditions.
The last increase in the quota for homecare workers saw it increase by 500. In order to qualify an applicant must be earning a minimum salary requirement of €30,000. Qualified planners will need to earn a salary of €64,000 to qualify. The decision to add town planners to the critical skills list was taken following consultation with the Department of Housing. They will take place from Monday.
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Mr Burke said the steps were taken on town planning in order to address “the ongoing critical infrastructure bottlenecks experienced in the housing and broader construction sector”.
“This change will place the State in a stronger position to attract a higher number of qualified and skilled planners to address shortages, and continue the ramp up in housing delivery which is a critical Government priority.”
He said that increasing the quota for homecare workers would help alleviate labour shortages in the sector. “As we have reached full employment with over 2.7 million people at work here there are some skills that are increasingly difficult for employers to access in Ireland and across the EEA, and these sectors are prime examples.”
In a statement Minister of State Alan Dillon said that migrant workers play a “vital role” in a number of industries, but particularly in the healthcare and construction sectors.
In order to obtain a general employment permit – such as would be allocated to homecare workers – employers have to undertake a labour market needs test and if no one suitable applies for the job they can apply for an employment permit.
The critical skills occupations list covers roles in high demand that aren’t always available among the existing labour force. Occupations include roles in medicine, ICT, sciences, finance and business.
Last year the Government issued a record 38,189 employment permits, marking a 24 per cent increase on 2023 amid heightened demand for workers in a tighter labour market. Indian nationals topped the list of those receiving permits to work in the Republic, with 13,147 issued, followed by those from Brazil (4,458), the Philippines (3,944), China (1,902) and Pakistan (1,690).
Over 12,000 of the permits were for people working in the health sector.
